- 2019 Jan 29
This Library Is a Tree
The most magical little free library is built right into a rotting 110-year-old cottonwood tree stump in Idaho.
- 2019 Jan 18
Tales of Librarian Badassery
A list of 12 books in which librarians get to be the major players in their own adventures.
- 2019 Jan 14
40 Books that Changed Librarians' Lives
For the 20th anniversary of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' New York Public Library workers name books they loved growing up.
- 2018 Dec 06
Non-Book Items At the Library
Librarian and author Kristen Arnett rounds up an incomplete list of non-book items you can check out of local libraries.
- 2018 Nov 26
James H. Billington Dies at 89
The librarian of Congress for three decades, who propelled the expansion of the world’s largest library in spite of digital setbacks, died last week.
- 2018 Nov 13
Maintain Your Little Free Library
Tips and tricks for keeping people coming back to your box of books include keeping works for all ages inside, diverse offerings, and more.
- 2018 Oct 22
LoC Launches National Screening Room
The Library of Congress just cut the ribbon on an online trove of historic films free for the streaming.
- 2018 Oct 18
Little Free Library Founder Dies
Todd Bol, who built the first Little Free Library and brought them across the globe, died yesterday at 62.
Oregon Fights Anti-Taxers for Libraries
All the county libraries closed in a wooded corner of Oregon when the money ran out. But believers in the power of books rejected that fate.
- 2018 Oct 16
Authors Laud the Libraries They Love
12 authors wax poetic on their local public library or share a memory of a library from their past.
- 2018 Oct 10
Home Libraries Confer Long-Term Benefits
A large new study finds people who grew up in book-filled homes have higher reading, math, and technological skills.
- 2018 Oct 09
U.K. Library Hours Slashed
New research reveals that British libraries that avoided closure after funding cuts have significantly reduced their public opening times.
- 2018 Sep 24
The Secret Life of Libraries
Meet the children, readers, learners, neighbors, and karaoke singers who use one local library every day.
Free Black Women’s Library, Profiled
This artist and librarian has collected more than 1,000 books written by African-American women to assemble an interactive biblio installation.
- 2018 Sep 17
A Suburban Library in Pa. Matters
After two years and $7.1 million in renovations, the Radnor Memorial Library near Philadelphia is proof that suburban libraries are still vital.
- 2018 Aug 29
Carnegie Thefts Shock Rare Book World
The arrests of two Pittsburgh area book thieves last month sent a shudder across the rare books industry.
Book Thieves Come In Twos
More than 30 years before the Carnegie Library rare book thefts, another mischievous duo stole thousands of prints from university libraries.
- 2018 Aug 23
NYPL Brings Classics to Instagram
The New York Public Library has partnered with the creative agency Mother to bring classic books to the platform alongside visual artwork.
- 2018 Aug 21
Business Attire On the Bookshelf
Patrons can now borrow ties, briefcases, and handbags from the New York Public Library's Riverside Branch.
- 2018 Aug 17
The World's Weirdest Libraries
Get your books from a phone booth, monastery, military tank, or camel at one of these unconventional book lenders.
- 2018 Aug 16
Another Librarian Goes Grifter
A former Utah library director pleaded guilty to stealing $89,000 from the library where he worked to purchase items in 'Game of War.'
- 2018 Aug 13
The Librarian Who Turned Grifter
The disgraced former head of the Queens Library still collects six figures each in state pension and his salary from a Long Island school district.
- 2018 Aug 09
Amazing Libraries
A look at a few very cool libraries.
Slithering Library Guests
A D.C. public library branch was briefly closed upon the discovery of some uninvited guests: snakes.
- 2018 Aug 08
Readers Forget, But Librarians Remember
A crack squad of librarians works to reunite stumped readers with the books from the edges of their memories.
The Dangers of Victorian Librarianship
In the late 19th century, more women were becoming librarians. Experts predicted they would suffer ill health, strain, and breakdowns.
- 2018 Aug 01
Ancient Public Library Found in Germany
Remains of a grand building that may have housed up to 20,000 scrolls has been uncovered in central Cologne.
- 2018 Jul 30
The Best Book Database You Don't Know
Taking a look at NoveList, a book database that is accessible at many public libraries.
- 2018 Jul 26
New 'Forbes' Op-Ed Tries to Fix Things
After an op-ed about replacing libraries with Amazon Books caused furor, an astrophysicist has published a pro-library piece in 'Forbes.'
- 2018 Jul 23
Two Charged In Steel City Library Theft
A former Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh archivist and a respected antiquarian bookseller “cannibalized” rare books from the institution.
'Forbes' Library Op-Ed Starts Uproar
Librarians have responded with scorn and fury to an opinion piece arguing that Amazon should replace libraries to save taxpayer dollars.
- 2018 Jul 05
Three Poisonous Library Books
Librarians at the University of Southern Denmark recently discovered three rare old tomes with covers suffused with arsenic.
- 2018 Jun 29
Long Island Library Uproar
The East Hampton Library’s Authors Night is being moved to a different venue, causing residents concern over potential traffic and property damage.
- 2018 Jun 20
Librarians Will Guard Your Privacy
Most places look at your information as a way to draw you in as a consumer. But libraries make sure they're keeping patron information secure.
- 2018 Jun 14
A Look At the New York Society Library
Founded in 1754, the Manhattan library calls itself the oldest cultural institution in New York City. Yet it remains overlooked.
- 2018 Jun 04
Building a Home Library
A librarian's top five tips to help you turn that book collection of yours into a bona fide athenaeum.
- 2018 May 11
The World's Most Popular Libraries
From the New York Public Library to the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg, ranking the world's biggest libraries by their visitors.
- 2018 May 10
Cambridge Library Cancels Díaz Event
The Cambridge Public Library has canceled its annual Summer Reading Kick-Off, which was to feature Junot Díaz.
- 2018 May 07
Libraries Are Having a #MeToo Moment
As the movement spreads, U.S. libraries hope to foster productive dialogue around the problems it has brought to light.
- 2018 May 03
Obama's Public Library
The Obama Foundation and the City of Chicago signed a tentative rent-free deal for a Chicago Public Library branch to be in the Obama Presidential Center.
Hey, Bezos! Give Libraries Your Money
The Amazon founder says he doesn’t know what to do with his billions. This writer has an idea.
- 2018 Apr 19
Qatar's National Library
The new library, which opened in Doha earlier this week, celebrates its collection by incorporating books into the infrastructure of the building.
- 2018 Apr 16
A Guide to Lending Books to Friends
Librarians from around the U.S. offer tips on how to keep your friends, and your books, close.
- 2018 Apr 12
How to Get Your Books Back
What are the rules for lending your books to friends? Librarians weigh in, since they're the experts.
- 2018 Apr 11
A Library Stays in Texas
After a public outcry, the University of Texas has decided not to relocate its fine arts library.
- 2018 Apr 06
Secret Codes in a Scottish Library
Mysterious symbols scrawled in books in the Charleston Library in Dundee help elderly readers keep track of what they’ve already read.
- 2018 Apr 05
The Natural Enemy of the Librarian
Uplifting monument or waste of space? On Philip Johnson’s Bobst Library and a conflict between librarians and architects.
- 2018 Mar 28
Why Libraries Are Distributing Seeds
Seed-sharing programs aim to expand access to crops and educate the public, while also protecting scarce agricultural resources.
- 2018 Mar 23
Books Are Vanishing from Arts Libraries
Two major public universities have recently moved to radically downsize or entirely relocate their fine arts libraries.
- 2018 Mar 20
A Literary Robbery in Pittsburgh
Who stole 314 items from the Carnegie Library rare books room, right under the gaze of Andrew Carnegie’s portrait?
- 2018 Mar 02
Five Libraries That Stand Strong
A look at libraries from Egypt to Dominica that have remained open despite death threats, extreme weather, and terrorism.
- 2018 Feb 20
On Curating Rare Books
In his 47 years at the Boston Atheneum, Stanley Cushing has handled every kind of book imaginable—including one bound with its author's skin.
- 2018 Feb 07
In Praise of the Small Town Library
In rural Pennsylvania, four bookshelves may prove to be a passport to the rest of the world.
- 2018 Feb 02
The Art of Unpacking a Library
How to pack and unpack one's books, which, "because it is essentially chaotic, is a creative act," writes Alberto Manguel.
- 2018 Feb 01
Librarians Fight a Homeless Crisis
Local libraries are playing an unexpected role in helping Sacramento's homeless find places to stay.
- 2018 Jan 30
Libraries Fill News Void in Small Towns
As local news outlets disappear in America, some libraries are gaining new relevance.
- 2018 Jan 25
How a Library Handles a Poisonous Book
The arsenic-laden pages of “Shadows from the Walls of Death” should not be touched without gloves.
- 2018 Jan 23
The Art of Controlled Vocabularies
How being a librarian made this author, an academic librarian by trade, into a better writer.
- 2018 Jan 05
The Largest Dog Library in London
The canine-themed book collection at the Kennel Club Library claims to be Europe's largest dog library.
- 2017 Dec 14
The Plight of the Part-Time Librarian
How to make a working life out of evenings and weekends at your local library—if you can.
- 2017 Dec 05
America’s Star Libraries
The tenth annual 'Library Journal' Index of Public Libraries has been announced. 7,409 U.S. public libraries were qualified to be rated this year.
Egypt's War on Books
How far will Abdel Fattah el-Sisi go to stifle dissent? The answer is becoming clearer every day, and libraries are telling the tale.
- 2017 Nov 09
Teen Readers Recommend
A high school librarian shares the books that teens at his school recommend.
- 2017 Nov 01
Turks Take Refuge in Libraries
Amid political uncertainty and terror, public library memberships in Turkey are on the rise, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
- 2017 Oct 26
Americans Trust Their Libraries
Most Americans—especially Millennials—say libraries can help them find reliable, trustworthy information, according to research.
- 2017 Oct 23
Google Chrome's Library Extension
The internet just keeps making it easier for you to find books at your library.
- 2017 Oct 16
On Homelessness at Libraries
What's a library to do about homelessness in what is a decidedly public space?
- 2017 Oct 10
Sex and the Single Librarian
One of the frustrations of being a librarian is the occupational stereotyping—even from those who should know better.
- 2017 Oct 05
A Librarian Without a Library
A librarian begins her career in Nigeria.
- 2017 Oct 03
NYPL Children's Illustrations
A look at the New York Public Library's collection of children's book illustrations.
Thank You, But No
A librarian rejects Melania Trump's book donations.
- 2017 Oct 02
Donkey-Powered Mobile Libraries
A Zimbabwe nonprofit program is using specially-designed donkey carts to carry books to remote areas.
- 2017 Sep 07
A Gift from James Patterson
James Patterson donates to school libraries.
- 2017 Aug 14
A New Type of Library...in an Old Ranch
Two former Tattered Cover Book Store employees have opened a live-in library along the banks of the South Platte River in Colorado.
- 2017 Aug 10
NYPL Gets Some Protected Rooms
The Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Catalog Room at the New York Public Library are now city landmarks.
Invisible Poems in an Old Library
A new technique is revealing traces of lost languages that have been erased from ancient parchments in the library at Saint Catherine’s Monastery.
- 2017 Aug 08
The Greek Mobile Library for Refugees
A pair of volunteers in the country is providing a quiet space to read and study amid the upheaval and uncertainty of the refugee crisis.
- 2017 Aug 04
Drag Queen's Reading Ends in Uproar
A drag queen’s plan to encourage diversity by reading to children at a North Carolina library backfired this week after residents complained.
- 2017 Aug 03
Who Says There's No Free Lunch?
Libraries are providing free lunch over the summer.
Sneaky Ways to Get Kids to the Library
Advice from a school librarian.
The 17th Century's Kindle
One of the earliest attempts to make books portable was the "Jacobean Travelling Library," a portable library.
- 2017 Jul 31
Free Lunch at the Library
Librarians used to forbid any food or drink to avoid staining books and attracting pests. Now they're feeding their communities.
- 2017 Jul 27
Introducing the Most Glamorous Librarian
Learn more about the life of Belle de Costa Greene, an influential librarian in America during the early 20th century.
- 2017 Jul 13
High Volumes
A librarian discusses the challenge of moderating volume levels in the library.
- 2017 Jul 05
Larkin Exhibition Sheds Light On Poet
Hundreds of the complicated poet's personal items are on display at the Brynmor Jones library in Hull, England.
- 2017 Jun 23
Millennials Aren't Killing Libraries
According to a Pew Research Center report, Millennials frequents public libraries more often than members of any other age group.
- 2017 Jun 14
Hidden Treasures in Italian Libraries
In Florence, Rome and beyond, these buildings are a feast not only for book lovers, but for art and architecture enthusiasts as well.
- 2017 Jun 08
The NYPL, a Writer's Haven
The main branch of the public library, Joe Kanon insists, is the perfect place to write—making it the most beautiful office in New York City.
- 2017 May 19
The Library of Books and Bombs
How a London borough turned a former insane asylum into a library that survived the German Blitz.
- 2017 May 16
The Twilight of the Late Book Fee
Libraries are dropping overdue fines, but can they afford to? The benefits may outweigh the losses.
- 2017 May 12
Was Emily Dickinson Really That Shy?
A new exhibit at the Morgan Library reveals the poet to be far more socially engaged than we’ve believed her to be.
- 2017 May 05
The Obama Presidential Library
On Wednesday, Barack and Michelle Obama unveiled a first glimpse of the Barack Obama presidential library planned for Chicago.
- 2017 Apr 25
College Libraries Transforming
A look at how many college libraries are turning more digital.
The Librarians of Native Hip Hop
Librarians at the University of New Mexico are using lyric analysis to examine hip hop produced by indigenous artists.
- 2017 Apr 20
University Libraries Get Modernized
From U.C. Berkeley to Harvard University, the digital revolution is changing libraries on college campuses.
- 2017 Apr 17
Trump Tweets Rock the Library World
Ivanka Trump hailed the value of libraries soon after her father proposed a funding cut to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
- 2017 Apr 11
State of America’s Libraries 2017
A new ALA report chronicles the library community’s front-line battles against fake news, censorship, and bigotry.
- 2017 Apr 10
Shetterly Inks Two-Book Deal With Viking
The author of 'Hidden Figures' is setting her next book around two prominent African-American households in mid-20th century Baltimore.
- 2017 Apr 05
Loss of Librarians
An article about the importance of school librarians.
Hackers Are Targeting Libraries
Ransomware attacks on public agencies are on the rise, and include a January 19 attack on the St. Louis Public Library.